Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Betting Preview: Ms. V’s Top Picks
Race: Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray
Date: Sunday, February 2, 2025
Track: Bowman Gray Stadium
Time: 8 pm ET
Channel: FOX
AND WE’RE BACK!
Once again, we are embarking on a new trajectory as the teams and drivers battle a track that NASCAR hasn’t seen since the 1970s.
The Clash at Bowman Gray will officially host the 2025 event this Sunday night. This exhibition race will be comprised of 23 drivers on a tight 0.25-mile oval. The race itself won’t have the field set until the 11th hour, with drivers qualifying for the event in several different ways. Thirty-nine drivers will start their practice sessions on Saturday. The drivers will be in three different groups determined by last year’s points results. Group 1 is headed by William Byron, Group 2 is headed by Ryan Blaney, and Group 3 is headed by Joey Logano. Each of the three groups will have three practice sessions to get laps under their belt. If you remember anything from last year, you’ll remember that the Coliseum was similarly small, leaving little room for passing for these drivers. They’ll have to figure it out pretty quickly, as the fastest driver from the last practice session of each group will determining the starting lineup for the heat races that come up next.
There will be a total of 4 heat races. Each heat race will only be 25 laps, so it’ll be quick and leave little opportunity for drivers to make moves or even to make up ground. The heat races will allow the first 20 drivers of the main event to be set. The top 5 finishers in each heat will advance, leaving 19 drivers set to go home. There will be three spots remaining to fill. Two of those spots will be determined in yet another event. What’s being coined the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) is a 75-lap dash where only green flag laps count, and no overtime will take place. This is the same situation for the preceding heat races. Only green flag laps count, and no overtime.
There is one final spot remaining after the heat races and the LCQ. That spot will be awarded to the driver who had the highest finish in driver points standings in 2024 and did not already transfer into the main event. There it is. The format for this year’s Clash is slightly different, and running a track that has not been run since 1971. Interestingly enough, that race was not formally scored as a victory to Bobby Allison until last year, shortly before Allison passed away. That was a great battle between him and Petty that was widely disputed and one of the great finishes in NASCAR racing, to be honest.
Odds and Value Picks
Who is going to win? That is really the big question here.
There are a few standouts at the top of the list, with Joey Logano not ranking quite as high as I’d expect. Logano tends to win things in new situations. He always rises to the top when presented with a new track or new challenge, and something is telling me that he is going to do that same thing this weekend. The top picks for this weekend’s race are Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe. Larson is no surprise. The guy is good anywhere, and what is another new short track to add to his list of victories? Briscoe, well, that is a little bit of a surprise with a +800 over Logano at +900. Larson and Briscoe are sitting at even odds right now, but I think that Logano is going to pull it out again on Sunday night. Here are my picks for the Clash:
- Winner: Joey Logano +1000
- Mid-Range Pick: Brad Keselowski +2000
- Dark Horse: Josh Berry +3000
Berry is still very much a bit of a risky pick, but he’s had a top 5 and top 10 finish in his brief career in the Cup Series with only eight short track races under his belt. He’s someone who has a lot of potential but needs to see some consistency from the team he signs with. I think if Berry is given the chance, he can definitely show us that he’s more than the stats have given over the last few years. Let’s see how 2025 treats him. Keselowski, well, he’s kind of crap shoot. He had a super great streak of races last year but then managed to fall off the wagon, get back on, and kind of stumble across the finish line. To be honest, though, he is always a force to be reckoned with on the short track, given the right car. If his team can give him something to work with, I think we’ll see the Brad that “doesn’t lift” and sees his way to victory lane Sunday night. What they’re going to have to drive through is Joey Logano, the expertise he has in navigating “newness”. We’ll soon see if he’s poised enough to continue his streak.
The 23 drivers that qualify for the main event will battle it out over a 200-lap feature, again with only green flag laps counting and no overtime allowed. Lap 100 will ultimately provide a planned caution for the drivers. Overall, this is going to be a fun race for fans and drivers alike. It’s a non-points race but something to open the season with a bang and give the fans a little glimpse into what to expect for the 2025 year. It’s sure to be a fun-filled evening! Stay tuned as the drivers, teams, and fans return to Bowman Gray Stadium for the first Cup Series race since 1971!